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United States
Asia Pacific
Report identifies most dangerous cruise destinations
A maritime lawyer has drawn up a list of the world’s most dangerous cruise destinations.
Jim Walker has compiled the list based on information and complaints from cruise passengers who have contacted his US law firm.
He decided to investigate the most dangerous ports after the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently released a Global Study on Homicide in 2013.
"The most dangerous countries mentioned in the study read like a cruise line itinerary," said Walker. "Honduras (1), Venezuela (2), Belize (3), El Salvador (4), Guatemala (5), Jamaica (6), St. Kitts – Nevis (8), and Colombia (10).
"Cruise lines spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars a year creating idyllic illusions of tropical vacations on beautiful Caribbean beaches. But behind that slick marketing facade lies danger.
"A few people complained of being pick-pocketed in Italy. But we have received no reports of guns or knives from people visiting European or African ports ever. Of course, ports in Australia and New Zealand are fabulously safe. We have also never received a complaint about crime in the Asian ports.
"We know what people will think when they read the list – ‘Crime occurs everywhere. Just use common sense. Stay with the cruise line excursions ashore’. I say nonsense to that. The fact is that crime occurs in certain places far more than others. No one has ever contacted us about crime during a Seattle, Vancouver or Alaska cruise."
To see Jim Walker’s own list, please click here.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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